Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Lead

CesiumAstro; Westminster (MD); On-site; USD 134,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health, dental, vision insurance

HSA/FSA benefits

Retirement plans

Equal Opportunity employer

Job summary

CesiumAstro is seeking a Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer I to lead a small engineering team in the mechanical design of spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all development phases. You will direct architecture trades, ensure cross‑functional alignment, and deliver robust designs for spaceflight while mentoring a growing team.

The role requires hands‑on experience in mechanics of materials, CAD/FEA tools, and experience with environmental tests, with strong communication skills

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering from an accredited university.
• 9 years of experience in communications satellite structures and mechanisms design from concept to decommissioning.
• At least 5 years of experience leading technical teams.
• Contributions to multiple flight missions and lead ownership of full mechanical development cycles at space-vehicle level.
• Strong experience with mechanical interfaces and cross-functional alignment.
• Hands-on satellite AI&T experience linked to design implementation.
• Experience with structural and thermal analysis reviews for manufacturability.
• Proficiency in SolidWorks Simulation, ANSYS, and Nastran; design for manufacturing and cost.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small team of engineers across mechanical design, electronics packaging, CAD, and thermal architectures.
• Direct architecture trades, requirements definition, analysis, manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, and in-orbit support.
• Collaborate with GNC, EPS, CDH, Payload, RF, Systems, and AI&T teams to ensure integrated spacecraft designs.
• Present engineering design review materials to customers and executive team; contribute to proposal-writing efforts.

Skills

Spacecraft structures

Mechanical engineering

Team leadership

CAD tools

Thermal architecture

Systems integration

Team mentoring

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

ANSYS

Nastran

Job description

CesiumAstro is seeking a Principal Spacecraft Mechanical Engineer I to lead a small engineering team in the mechanical design of spacecraft, subsystems, and interfaces through all development phases. You will direct architecture trades, ensure cross‑functional alignment, and deliver robust designs for spaceflight while mentoring a growing team.

The role requires hands‑on experience in mechanics of materials, CAD/FEA tools, and experience with environmental tests, with strong communication skills